Huntington High School’s boys’ junior varsity basketball team focused less on the squad’s won-loss record and more on daily improvement.
Coached by Daryl Johnson, the Blue Devils were led by freshman Colin Lennon and sophomores Harry Baliber and Jayson Colato. Baliber and Colato captained the team.
“Harry was a good team leader and a good outside shooter,” Johnson said. “He plays hard and is a good competitor.”
Lennon and Colato were also praised. “Jayson is very athletic,” Johnson said. “He plays hard and competes. Colin is also a good competitor who plays hard, too.”
The highlight of the season came in a 27-23 victory over Centereach. “The players executed their plays and they played hard,” Johnson said.
The roster included freshmen Justin D’Eloia, William Fallon, Chase Gadaire, Thomas Kline, George Mueger, Jordan Thorbourne; sophomores Dillanger Albert, John Genova, Christopher Grover, Eli Soric and Gradon Sosnowski. Freshman Ryan Scanlon was the team’s manager.
“The players on the final roster are really good kids,” Johnson said. “They were a joy to coach.” Baliber led the Blue Devils in scoring with Colato and Lennon tops in rebounds.
Players are already looking ahead to next year. Some will get promoted to varsity while others will return to the JV.
“The goal is to develop player individual skill sets and hopefully they participate in off-season workouts,” Johnson said. “I am hoping the ninth graders return next season and we can bring along some of the middle school kids and be competitive. The league will have some new teams coming into our division so the goal is to be competitive.”
